Highlights:
- Leading private hospitals plan to introduce robotic surgery in Bangladesh
- Labaid, United, and Evercare hospitals seek DGDA import approval
- Government supports technology for improved care and foreign currency savings
- Labaid urges tax exemptions to make robotic systems affordable
- Bangladesh spends about Tk1,000 crore yearly on overseas robotic surgeries
- Robotic surgery promises precision, faster recovery, and reduced infection risks
Bangladesh is on the cusp of a major medical technology upgrade as leading private hospitals finalise plans to introduce robotic surgery.
This initiative promises to revolutionise local healthcare by enhancing surgical precision, reducing patient complications, and significantly curbing the reliance on costly medical treatment abroad.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard’s Google news channelThree major facilities – Labaid, United, and Evercare hospitals – have formally applied to the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) for permission to import surgical robots, each costing an estimated Tk20-25 crore. Dr Akter Hossain, a DGDA spokesperson, confirmed that the approval process is now underway.
In August, the country’s first Robotic Rehabilitation Centre opened at Bangladesh Medical University with 62 robots, including 22 AI-enabled units, for physiotherapy and neuro-rehabilitation
Government support and economic rationale
The government has voiced support for adopting the advanced technology. Health Secretary Saidur Rahman stated, “We have already launched a robotic rehabilitation centre at Bangladesh Medical University. The government welcomes advanced technologies that improve healthcare.”
Health experts widely agree that the technology will improve patient outcomes and, crucially, significantly cut the number of patients travelling overseas for advanced procedures.বিস্তারিত